Prayers of Approach
On this Passion Sunday,
We come, amazing God, to spend time with you, our Father; to worship you, Jesus, our Saviour; to be filled by you, Holy Spirit, our comforter. We come now in this moment, individually and together.
Creator God, loving Saviour, living Spirit, we celebrate your generosity in receiving all that we would give you. We rejoice in your generosity as you pour out your blessing on all you have made. We commit ourselves to reflecting your generosity in our lives, by giving the best of all we have and are wherever there is need.
Giving God, no money can buy your love, no words can adequately express our thanks, no actions can fully demonstrate our gratitude. But as we sing, as we pray, as we listen to your Word, we offer you our best, and celebrate your presence with us – now and each moment of every day.
Lord Jesus, with Mary we adore you and bring our gifts; with Mary we worship you and give thanks; with Mary we sense the urgency of our calling, and offer our best to you and your world, now and always.
Amen.
Hymn To God be the glory, great things he has done (R&S 289)
Readings: Isaiah 43:16-21
John 12:1-8
Introduction
In our reading from Isaiah, the people in exile in Babylon are told that the end of their exile is near. God’s power will soon be demonstrated in bringing them back to Jerusalem, an act described in language that is reminiscent of the Exodus from Egypt. They are urged not to remember what went before because God is doing a ‘new thing’.
The readings this week prompt us to question what really matters to us and to think about the important priorities in our lives – what are our true passions? In an act of great passion, Mary anoints Jesus’ feet with perfumed oil. While Judas criticises it as a lavish waste of money that could have been spent on the poor, Jesus defends it as a prophetic sign of his imminent burial.
God’s saving love in rescuing his people and in Jesus’ sacrifice give us cause to be thankful and to appreciate the big and little things that make life special, that make us feel alive and express our love to God.
Hymn God is love; his the care (R&S 274)
Sermon
The fifth Sunday in Lent is also known as Passion Sunday, from the Latin ‘passio’ meaning suffering. It is the day when the countdown to Jesus’ death begins in earnest and whichever year of the 3 year lectionary cycle of readings we are in we can feel the heightening tensions and the ominous stirrings of opposition or expectation. So today is a time when we think about Jesus’ suffering for us, and how God’s love for us is so ‘passionate’ that Jesus was prepared to die for us. And today’s reading sets the scene. Six days before Passover Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem and spends time in the house of his friends, Mary and Martha. In an outpouring of thanks for raising her brother Lazarus from the dead, Mary pours oil over Jesus’ feet and washes them with her hair. This act was an extravagant gesture that went against the social codes of the time.
To begin with, a woman who let her hair loose, especially in mixed company, might be regarded as having loose morals too, even though this was in her own home. Secondly, as Passover approached, care for the poor was very much in the spirit of the season, feeding ‘the aliens, the orphans and the widows’ was integral to celebrating the deliverance from slavery in Egypt. Judas’ indignation at the waste might therefore reflect how many would have felt. When Jesus defends Mary, however, he is not promoting a disregard for the poor but highlighting the power of her gratitude.
It is difficult for us to discern Judas’ true motives, despite the words in brackets accusing him of being a thief, but his objections and questions sound perfectly reasonable. We might even echo them ourselves at times, it is often so easy to claim the moral high ground. But are we too quick to rubbish other people’s motives? Do we find it difficult to recognise thankfulness and to share it? We are often held back by our preconceived ideas and fail to see the truths that underlie them.
In Isaiah 43.18, the people are cautioned: ‘Do not remember the former things’. Ideas that have nourished our understanding can also hold us captive. When Pastor John Robinson preached to his congregation before they set sail for America in 1620, he encouraged them not to get stuck in their beliefs, not even in sticking to what he had taught them,‘…for I am verily persuaded the Lord hath more truth and light yet to break forth from His Holy Word’, words which George Caird also echoed in his hymn, ‘Not far beyond the sea, nor high above the heavens…’ (R&S 318). A response of genuine thankfulness also brings openness, not simply fierce loyalty to the past.
Thanksgiving has always held a central place in both Jewish and Christian life. And being thankful, giving thanks and praying blessings – and in a manner that might inspire others to do the same – is a good and Godly way to live your life! Giving thanks for what you have and for what you yourself have received leads to a generosity of spirit in which personal acts of kindness show we care, with thoughtful actions and not just words. Personal acts of caring give crucial insight into what is really needed in a situation. There is also space to stand up for those who are in desperate need. And Judas’ point was a legitimate one. If we only act on the level of personal kindness, we can be overwhelmed. If we only campaign, then our actions can lack insight and sensitivity. We need to hold together compassion and justice to allow ‘God in us’ to serve ‘God in others’.
So, as ‘passionate’ people let us: Press on in Anticipation of riches ahead, Singing with joy as we Shed the past, realising the Importance of God’s grace. Our old life is dead. Now our trust is in Christ. Lord, we give thanks and praise as we move forward with you. Amen.
Hymn Give thanks with a grateful heart (MP 170)
Prayers of Intercession
Lord, we bring before you the passions of our lives: the people who matter most to us, the things that hurt us most, everything we have lost, the questions we struggle to answer. Help us to know how much we matter and to find our answers in you.
We pray for our troubled world, a world in need of your generosity and love,
Loving God, we pray for those who hear only the sounds of war, only words of criticism, only their own voices… Loving God, speak words of peace.
We pray for those who see only cruelty, only need, only devastation… Loving God, show them signs of hope.
We pray for those who feel only pain, only loneliness, only fear… Loving God, gently touch and heal them.
We pray for those surrounded by the odours of poverty, of illness, of death… Loving God, bless them with the fragrance of wholeness.
We pray for those who have never tasted good food, who have never tasted freedom… Loving God, give them the gift of yourself. We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Hymn Now thank we all our God (R&S 72)
Blessing
As we go out into the world may we give time to that which matters most. Share our gifts with those who need the most. Show our gratitude to those who have blessed us the most. Be still with the ones who love us most, and live the now of every moment and every day, to the glory of God. Amen.
Prayers and other material (adapted) © Roots for Churches Ltd. Used by permission.
